Do we really understand repentance? David said (Psalms 41:4, Psalms 51:4) Against Thee and Thee only have I sinned and done this evil in Thy sight. But what about Bathsheba and her family? What about Uriah’s family? We need to get this straight. David raped Bathsheba and he murdered Uriah, but he DID NOT – COULD NOT sin against them. I can hurt, harm, cheat, defraud etc. another person but I cannot, it is impossible for me to sin against them. No sinner, which all of us are, can sin against another sinner. Sex (outside the bond of marriage) can only be against absolute purity and holiness, which is God alone.
We learn from Esau (Hebrews 12:17) that apologies, regrets and remorse can never produce repentance. When we fully realize that our sin is against God, and only against God, then we experience (2 Corinthians 7:10) the godly sorrow which works genuine repentance in us. True repentance includes the longing desire to be close to the Lord in growing intimacy and to be one with Him in His purposes.
God sends natural disasters to communicate spiritual Truth. But some (Revelation 9:20-21) will never repent and deal with their idolatry, immorality and all their sins because (Genesis 4:7) sin crouches at our door, ready to pounce, just waiting to give birth to more and more sins against God. They seal their own eternal doom in the unending Lake of Fire. Punishment and the coming fierce wrath of God (Ecclesiastes 8:11) only hardens their depraved stubborn hearts. Every human is totally depraved until and if he receives salvation through God’s grace by the precious priceless shed Blood of Jesus. Only Calvary can cover it all – sin – shame – total depravity, If we Christians deliberately choose to sin, we are guilty of the idolatry of self-worship because we have dethroned Christ Jesus and usurped for ourselves the throne which is His alone. It is by the goodness of God (Romans 2:4) we hear the Father’s call to repentance. If you feel reluctant to do something that you know is the right thing to do – picture in your mind – Jesus on His knees, washing the feet of Judas.
Thousands of years ago the holy Judge of all the earth was wrongly judged by sinful humans but God had predestined this in order to make repentance possible (Romans 2:4) for you and me and all who are willing to repent.
Courage comes from faith and faith is (Ephesians 2:8) the gift of God. Our whole life, everything, always, in all places, must be rightly related to God. Otherwise, we will flounder in a self-made ocean with no haven in sight. Our only safe anchor is God’s wonderful essential gift of repentance. Don’t be a stranger to it.
A sunbeam had to travel 96 million miles to visit me to-day but when it arrived it was not exhausted. It joined all Creation in singing praise to the glory of God for His perfect order, beauty, wisdom and loving provision. Our heavenly Father is the God of loving-kindness, tender mercy and never-failing compassion.
Every sunbeam always brings messages from heaven. It is very profitable to listen to the messages of the sunbeams by day and the music of the stars by night. Sunshine and starlight are richly filled with God’s goodness and beauty. There is nothing in all this world, including all its riches, that is as valuable as our close loving intimacy with our wonderful Lord. God is involved in every detail of our lives because He loves us and has a purpose for our lives. The house I live in now is my aging, painful, wearing-out body but, (Dr.Youssef) “When I receive my glorified body, I will be housed in a mansion that never needs repair.”
While we are still on earth, let the beauty of our God now (Psalms 90:17) be upon us, in the fragrance of the sweetness of Jesus, the beauty of His love and the kindness, patience, wisdom and compassion of His heart.
Then He will establish everything we do and make it count for eternity. In this relationship with our risen Lord, temptation loses all appeal and inducement to us. (Oswald Chambers) “There is more than we have yet experienced. Beware of the danger of relaxing spiritually. Our reach must exceed our grasp.” There is always more to follow. Our constant prayer conversation with the Lord can be golden with the eternal gold of answered prayer and charged all through with God’s personal Presence. The forever bridge connection linking us together is the mighty Cross of Jesus. If we are truly Christians, it is because of all God’s predestined purpose in Creation, Bethlehem, Gethsemane, Calvary, an empty tomb and Pentecost and you cannot separate them, every one is essential. Meditation on these eternal Truths with adoration and holy fear.
In the year 1744, a weak, sickly young man with bad eyesight, read his sermon which ended with the words – how awful to be left behind – Mass. USA. His name was Jonathan Edwards. He spoke of the total depravity of every human including every child from birth. He said we are sinners in the hands of an angry God and hanging by a thread over the open mouth of the fiery pit of eternal hell. We don’t hear sermons like that today, but we urgently need them.
Many preachers, today, have softened the Truth and have substituted easy-believeism – say a prayer, sign a card or whatever. We have interfered with the reality Truth by our meddling interference in trying to make the Gospel more palatable and advantageous to the prosperity of seekers. Jesus spoke more about hell than he did about heaven. All who are responsible for this travesty against holy Truth will give account to God